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Sunday, December 23, 2012

End of Days

By Eliyahu:

ד"סב

ָהיֶכTheָרְדּTorah'stakeon
life - and all it throws our way.

END OF DAYS

December 20th, 2012 has come and gone. Those who wasted valuable time
and money buying lifetime supplies in fear of the baseless prediction of the
world's end are now exempt from grocery shopping forever more as life carries
on. While the Mayan myth has been debunked (until they come up with another
date for disaster), we must take this opportunity to explore the Jewish view on
the apocalypse. Do we believe in such an event? And if we do, what's in store
if and when it happens?

Once again, we will begin with a passage from the Ramhal's work Derech
Hashem, who succinctly briefs us on the topic1. The basic idea,
on a shallow level of understanding, begins with Adam's sin - eating from the
forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge2. Before the
transgression, our world was in a perfect state; Gan Eden on earth. As
Adam took a bite out of the fruit, the blissful condition wasreversed
into the world as we know it today. Since then, our underlining goal was to,
one way or another, patch up his sin and bring the world (as well as man) back
to their state of perfection.

The Ramhal notes one issue lying within this demanding process:
neither man nor the world can reach full perfection in their current state.
Everything has been tainted with sin and impurity to a point which is beyond
repair. Therefore, it has been decreed from above that man should die and be
renewed at the time of Tehiyat Ha'Metim (Revival of the Dead), which
takes place around the time ofMashiah.

More pertinent to our subject, the world must also be destroyed and
later renewed to reach its full potential. It is only in this manner that
Adam's transgression can
be fixed entirely. This is the reason behind a Gemara which states,

For 6000 years, the world will exist; for 1000 years, it will be
desolate. At the end of this 1000 years, G-d will again renew His world"3

There are many commentaries on this piece. It is noteworthy to mention
the dispute between the Rambam and Ra'avad in the Yad Hazaka4. Rambam says the
renewal will be this world, reconstructed; Ra'avad understands that it will be
a completely new world. Whichever way it turns out, there is indeed a concept
of apocalypse in our religion.

Now, the Sages speak in different places
throughout the Talmud of what we can expect in the stages leading up to this
point. A crucial event that must take place before the above-quoted Gemara
comes to fruition is the coming of Mashiah - a topic in its own right which
deserves much discussion at another time. The buildup to his arrival is
labelled as "Hevlei Mashiah" - the birth-pangs of Mashiah5, a time which will
cause much anguish to the world. It will, according to most opinions, involve
the war of Gog U'Magog - a worldwide battle with unhappy results. Chazal
say the war will last for twelve months from the beginning of the attack until
the final outcome6.

Fortunately, there is a way to ensure one's safety. The Gemara
advises to toil in Torah and be involved in acts of Hessed in order to
be saved from the birth-pangs of Mashiah.7 Elsewhere, the Hahamim
say that the Jews will only be spared if they do Teshuva8. If we wisely
utilize these options, there is not much to fear.

To turn what we're saying into a biting reality, we will bring one
final source - a Mishna in Masechet Sotah9 - which tells us
some signs that will act as indications that
Mashiah (and all it comes packaged with) is right around the corner.

Brazenness
("Hutzpa") will become common.

Wine will be expensive; everyone will be drinking
which will result in increased demand.

The
government will turn to heresy against G-d and the Torah.

No one will be able to give rebuke, because he is guilty of the very
same sin. Truth will be sparse/unclear.

Young will
not hesitate to embarrass the elderly.

We are much closer than we think. Although we can't put a date on it10, it is understood
that it must take place before the year 6000 - only 227 years from where we
stand now. If there is one thing we can take out of the Mayan's failed
prediction, it is the sacrifice shown in its believers to prepare for it.
Pushing all dignity to the side, these unfortunate people stocked up on food
and supplies based on their immovable trust in the world's collapse.

Taking a page out of their books, we must also
stock up. Stock up on Teshuva, prayer, Torah, Mitzvot, Hessed and
fear of Heaven. It's only with theseapparatus that we will escape not
only alive, but in a state of perfection exceeding that of Adam and Hava. All
who make the proper arrangements have a guarantee that they will be spared from
the Hevlei Mashiah.

Treat it like it's the end of the world.

1 Derech Hashem 1:3:8,9

2 See Bereshit ch. 2

3 Sanhedrin 97a

4 Hilchot Teshuva 8:8

5 See Berachot 13a; Sanhedrin 97-98

6 Eduyot 2:10; see Tosafot Yom Tov

7 Berachot 13a

8 Sanhedrin 97b; The Gemara there asks - ultimately, we will be saved regardless of whether or not we do Teshuva!To which the Sages reply, there must be Teshuva. If we fail to do it on our own, desperate circumstances will leave us no other choice.

9 49b

10 Granted, theGemaraon Rosh Hashana 11a says it will take place in the month of Nissan or Tishrei.

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About Me

I was born in Moscow, Russia. We immigrated to the US when I was 7 and I made Aliya to Israel at the age of 19. I attended Tel-Aviv U. where I received a BA in English Lit. and General Studies. I'm fluent in: English, Russian and Hebrew. I run a site and work for an Israel Advocacy firm. I enjoy running social media pages, performing hip hop, reading, writing, playing chess, running, swimming and playing basketball. I'm a huge Chicago sports as well as Maccabi Tel-Aviv fan.